Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-11-11
THE TURTLE AT HOME.


How the Bahama Negroes HARNESS. ths
Crop-Capture of a Prize.
The green turtle of the metropolitan
restaurant. when it does not come from
the remnants of the roast veal and fried
chicken of the day before, comes chiefly
from the Bahamas and from Nassau, the
only city of the Bahamas. They are
harvested also in Cuba, Hayu and at
many points on the southern coast, but
in the Bahama Islands they seem to find
the richest feeding grounds Circuit
Justice L. D. Powles, of Bahama Island,
whose experience has been ample, telling
how the amiabie and luscious beast is
captured in his neighborhood. says:
Thee families who live in the out
Islands and DO all the turtle fishing that
is not done by the strictly business
schOoners and men from Nassau have
for a home house whose walls are built
of coral limestone. roughly plastered to-
gether and rooted with palmetto thatch.
There are probably twelve or fourteen in
the family. and they all live in one little
room. pretty nearly bare of furniture.
Nobody but papa and mamma rise to the
dignity of bed. The rest can sleep any
where. When not asleep, nearly all
their lives are spent cut of doors. Behind
the hous.. Is some big tree. where mother
cooks and washes and father whacks her
and the children by turns, unless. as oc-
casionally happens. she is boss. and does
the whacl,ing herself. They have not
much need of money, for they can grow
oranges. iananas and other tropical uits
in plenty. with corn and sweet potatoes,
and fish Is to be had for the catching.
But the out-islander stands sometimes in
need of clothes and groceries, which have
to be pail for, As turtles will either
produce cash or its substitute. he occa-
sionally go,s of on a turtling expedition.
After DAYS Of postponing and putting off.
he finally pulls himself together. and off
he goes. pressing all his family into the
service. There IS not much need 10 close
up the house. for there are no robbers,
and no probable intruder except the hogs,
which don't count. Still he probably
shuts it up, for de look of de ting. for
the darky is very punctillious about GER
tain matters.
The turtle beach may be many miles
away, but most likely he has boat, in
which he manages to reach it in the
course of few hours. All the party
have bare feet. but otherwise are dressed
much the same as civilized people. Ex-
ternal decency is one of those matters on
which the Bahamian negro is most scru-
pulous.
Arrived at the turtle beach. he puts
one of the boys in the boat and lets him
row along it, while the rest of the party
walk, keeping a sharp lookout for turtles.
Sonttmes the beach is ten miles long,
and perhaps the party draw the whole of
ii blank. in which case they beach the
boat and camp out for the night Per-
haps they have the luck to see a monster
green turtle before they have measured
half the distance. If the party is in luck
and sights a monster female turtle of 800
pounds. LAYING her eggs in the hot sand
a little ahead the party divides at once
and the chatterng ceases silence is
IA necessary element of success. One
half of the party make for the water
to cut off her retreat; the other half steal
noiselessly up and turn her on her back
"A tough Job i'll the case of turtle as
big a. 800 pounds. Once on her back she
is hcl bless. and some of the other party
20 oil in search of palmetto leaves or
tough grass with which to tie her fins.
while the othera stand round and talk to
her. jcering and making game of her for
ioin condition, taking care, however, to
give her mouth a wide berth. for she is
still able to bite with considerable effect.
When the others return they cut Sits in
her fins and tie them back tightly to-
gethcr. Thus secured. she is carried on
board the boat and given in charge of the
boy, while the land contingent start on
their road rejoicing. in search of another
victim. Before going on, though, they
will lunch ON the eggs their prisoner has
left behind her. These eggs are IA deli
cacy much prlzed in Nassau, but proba-
bly, by the time they get there they will
have gone bad, and it is only on rare oc-
casions. when turtles are caught i'll New
Providence or its immediate neighbor-
hood. that they are found in the market.
The eggs disposed of. the party moves
on once more, and perhaps, just at the
close of the day, catches hawksbil. a
good deal smaller in size but quite as
valuable. for this time the value is in the
shell, not in the weight This is a good
days work: the family row home CON
tented, and place their turtles in cool
place to await the chance of a ship to
carry them up to Nassau.
Another way of catching turtles is the
pe"lus of them in shoal water-that is,
striaing them with a grain or two
prong,d spear. This way is adopted by
vessels engaged in the turtle fisheries, but
it can only he used in the case of green
turtles. as it damages the shell
Besides the green turtles and hawk
bills. there is another species called the
mbherhcad, which is of no practical use
at all The flesh of both the latter spe-
cies is considered valueless but the
natives manage to make substantial
meals out of them all the same.
Most Of the turtles taken are females,
for it Is the females only that come ashore
for the purpose of laying their eggs. the
males remaining usually i'll much deeper
water. Tie female is easily distinguished
from the male by her tail. which is so
short as to be absolutely nominal, while
his usually averages SIX or eight inches in
length New York Sun.
The CameIs OF Texas.
In 1852 the United States government